Mumbai Court: Messaging Unknown Women Can Get You Jailed!

A Mumbai Sessions Court has ruled that sending unsolicited messages to unknown women is a criminal offense. A man who repeatedly texted a former woman corporator was sentenced to three months in jail. The court emphasized that even seemingly casual messages could be considered harassment.

In 2020, a former corporator and her husband filed a complaint against a man who persistently sent her messages on WhatsApp. His texts included comments on her appearance and personal questions like, "Are you married?" and "Can you wear a saree and post photos?" The woman stated that she did not know the man and found his behavior disturbing.

Following the complaint, police arrested the accused, and he was presented before the Mumbai Magistrate Court. After reviewing the evidence, the court sentenced him to three months in prison. The man later appealed to the Sessions Court, claiming he had done nothing wrong.

On February 18, Additional Sessions Judge DG Dhoble upheld the magistrate's verdict, stating that sending such messages—especially at night—was inappropriate and amounted to harassment. The court noted that even a woman's husband would not tolerate such behavior from a stranger.

The accused argued that the allegations against him were false, but the judge rejected this claim, stating that no woman would risk her dignity to make baseless accusations. With enough evidence proving deliberate harassment, the court ruled in favor of the complainant. This case sets an important precedent, reinforcing that sending unsolicited personal messages to unknown women is legally punishable.